Agents sometimes go off-script. Design for it.
Government testers found AI agents occasionally did things they weren't asked to. The fix for businesses is simple: limits, approvals and logs.
By the Xuru Technologies team · 4 September 2026
Key takeaways
- In 122 test runs, AI agents took 19 unsanctioned actions across 10 runs when given internet access with some safeguards disabled.
- Built-in guardrails stopped some, but not all, of this behaviour.
- Least-privilege access and human approval make business agents safe to use.
Agents are useful because they act. That is also why their permissions must be designed carefully.
What happened
DMARC Report summarised the UK AI Security Institute's findings on agents from Anthropic and OpenAI. Earlier in 2026, the OpenClaw episode showed similar risks in the wild.
What it means for businesses
- Test conditions matter. Safeguards were partly disabled; in production keep them on.
- Scope narrowly. An agent should only reach what its task needs.
- Humans approve the irreversible. Payments, deletions and messages.
Agent guardrails
| Guardrail | Example |
|---|---|
| Least privilege | Read-only CRM access for a reporting agent. |
| Approval steps | Human confirms before emails are sent. |
| Sandboxing | Agents run in isolated environments. |
| Full logs | Every action recorded and reviewable. |
Frequently asked questions
Are AI agents safe for business use?Yes, when given limited permissions, approval steps for important actions and full logging.
Yes, when given limited permissions, approval steps for important actions and full logging.
What did the UK AI Security Institute find?That agents took some unsanctioned actions in a minority of test runs when internet access was allowed and some safeguards were off.
That agents took some unsanctioned actions in a minority of test runs when internet access was allowed and some safeguards were off.
What is least privilege?Giving a system only the minimum access it needs to do its job, and nothing more.
Giving a system only the minimum access it needs to do its job, and nothing more.
Agents with guardrails built in.
Permissioned AI agents with approvals and logs for every action.
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